


A Faustian Bargain

by CalistaRouge



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bad Ending, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Dormammu Wins, Gen, Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Stephen Strange, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Stephen Strange Dies, Suffering, Thanos (Marvel) Dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 04:16:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19738135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalistaRouge/pseuds/CalistaRouge
Summary: Long ago a doctor took an oath; that he would only save lives and never take them. The sorcerer still lives by that oath, and will continue to do so by any means necessary.





	A Faustian Bargain

Stephen knew this was the only way. He couldn’t live in a world without Tony Stark, he couldn’t condemn anyone else to death, he couldn’t be in a room with Thor or Danvers or anyone else without being crushed by his guilt if he chose to let them get hurt by the gauntlet. 

So, he chose another path.

Before he opened the portals to what was left of the Avengers Compound, he recalled the ritual written in the locked tomes. The ones only the Sorcerer Supreme should have access to. And he summoned Dormammu. The sorcerer struck another bargain with the Lord of the Dark Dimension and cold, dark energy coursed through his veins and repaired the nerves in his hands.

As soon as Peter got ahold of the gauntlet, the good doctor took it from the boy and placed it on his own right hand, and snapped. The raw power and energy from the stones burned into his weak mortal body, lighting him up from the inside and nearly destroying him. But he made a deal with Dormammu, and the Dark Lord loathed to lose his prizes.

So he kept his bargain. 

All at once Thanos’s forces turned to dust. It was over. They won. 

The sorcerer dropped to the ground, body exhausted from the nonstop magic and energy that ravaged him, and he slept.

When he slept, he dreamt. Although it is undecided if he would have preferred death. 

He experienced horrors no single man nor mind was meant to experience in his long sleep. He dreamt of his death, his capture, torture, and pain. So much pain. He died a million different deaths in the span of a minute, each death somehow more brutal than the last. 

It’s a miracle how his mere human mind did not break, but Strange was strong. Stronger than most, if not all. Curious little sorcerer.

The sorcerer experienced each of his deaths at the hands of Dormammu, of Thanos, of other creatures and beings, in his dreams. Each one tore into his mind and soul, but the ones that hurt the most were the ones where he had hoped.

Hope is a despicable little thing. It gives one so much power and will to keep going, to keep fighting, and for what? In some of his dreams he survives, at first; he escaped Thanos, protected the Time stone, lived his life and sometimes even enjoyed it. 

For what? To ultimately die by the Mad Titan. He finds the poor sorcerer, kills him, kills the ones he loves, tortures and rips them apart before his very eyes, forces him to watch them suffer and bleed before killing him as well, and yet he refuses to break. He refuses to give up his hope.

Some would say it was quite noble. Those foolish little things.

When Stephen awoke, weeks later, his right arm was gone and there was a dull throb in the center of his forehead. He stubbornly refused Tony’s offer to build him a new arm or make one with Helen Cho’s technology. He avoided all of the Avengers, hid from the rest of the world once more, and pretended that everything was back to normal.

Except it wasn’t.

He threw himself into his duties, building stronger shields around the Earth and teaching the recruits as best as he could. He occasionally aided the Avengers, but only when the threat was mystical in nature, and always disappeared right after.

Stephen spent most of his time in Kamar-Taj. He was offered the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, and he accepted it. He continued to train the sorcerers and protect the Earth, vowed to do so for as long as he could.

And he did, for a terribly long time as well.

But the price comes due, and the devil always collects his due.

It’s been decades since Thanos, since he made that deal with Dormammu. And he finally made a mistake.

One small mishap.

And when he fell, Dormammu consumed him.

Stephen had hoped. That he could keep up this dance forever, that he could outwit Dormammu once more, that he could wake up from the nightmare he’s brought upon the world, that he could have foreseen this and warned someone, anyone, to keep the stones for just a little longer, that he could be strong enough for the Earth.

Unfortunately, the Dark Lord cannot so easily be fooled twice.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh poor Stephen. Try as he might, that's not the right way.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this? Angst? Hopefully there are other not as painful timelines.
> 
> Again, I'm also calistarouge on tumblr if you wanna chat or lurk around!


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